Tuft pile fabric loom



March 24, 1936. w. D. KELLOGG TUFT PILE FABRIC LOOM Filed Nov. 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEBYJTOR BY m W,Dm MVM ATTORNEYS March 24, 1936.

W, D. KELLOGG TUFT FILE FABRIC LOOM Filed Nov. 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 24, 1936 UNITED sra'rss PATENT OFFICE TUFT PILE FABRIC LOOM Application November 6, 1931, Serial No. 578,411

2 Claims. (01. 139-7) This invention relates to looms for weaving rugs or carpets and is concerned more particularly with an improved mechanism for use in such looms which serves the double purpose of supporting the fabric as it is being woven and holding the pile yarns tightly while they are being woven into the fabric. A loom equipped with this mechanism accordingly produces a fabric, in which the pile tufts are woven snugly into place so that they cannot readily work loose, and which has a smooth finished undersurface.

In looms as now commonly constructed for Weaving Axminster fabrics, no provision is made for supporting or holding the tuft yarns while they are being looped about the holding weft shot by the comb, and as a result, the loops are liable to become slack and thus give the fabric a rough uneven appearance at the back.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a loom in which the pile yarns are supported and held tightly against the weft shot around which they are bent, during the time when the formation of the tufts is taking place,

. to produce a tight, evenly 'woven fabric. To accomplish this, the loom is provided with a breastplate of novel construction which is movable wholly or in part from its ordinary position in whichit serves merely as a support for the fabric to a position nearer to the harness in which it engages the pile yarns during formation of the tufts. This movement of the breastplate or a part thereof is properly synchronized in the operation of the loom so that, at the appropriate instant, the breastplate moves forward and bears against the pile yarns just after insertion thereof and as the free ends are about to be bent upwardly around the weft shot. The yarns are thus held tautduring the formation of the tufts and are kept snugly in place until the tufts are completed and the shot around which they are bent is beaten up in the usual way.

The principles of the invention may be embodied in various forms, as, for example, the breastplate as a whole may be mounted either for reciprocating or rocking movement, or a portion only of the breastplate may be thus moved. In either case, the movable element is advanced to holding position and retracted therefrom preferably by means of a cam and suitable connections, the use of the cam permitting the movement to be properly timed so that the element performs its function without interfering with the operation of the other parts of the loom.

For a better understanding of the invention,

reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a sectional view through a portion of the loom equipped with a sliding breastplate, parts of the loom being conventionally illustrated; 5

Fig. 2 is a similar view on an enlarged scale showing the parts in different relative positions;

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing parts illustrated in Fig. 2 but in still another position;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a portion of 10 the breastplate illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a breastplate having a rocking movement;

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing an' I embodiment of the invention in which only a portion of the breastplate moves, this portion having a rocking movement; and

' Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing a breastplate, a portion of which has a sliding movement. 7

Referring now to the drawings, the invention is illustrated as incorporated in a loom of conventional type except that the movable breastplate of my invention has been substituted for the ordinary stationary breastplate. The loom includes a harness l for the warp threads, the harness functioning in the usual way to produce a shed through which the filling threads are passed. The pile yarns are carried on spools H above the weaving mechanism and cooperat- 3O ing shearing members l2 are provided for cutting the yarns to form tufts of the desired length. The loom has the usual comb l3 lying beneath the warp and movable up and down'to bend the pile yarns around the weft shot to produce the loops. The loom also has the usual reed M which moves to beat up the weft shot around which the pile yarns have been bent and the usual breast beam l4 over which the fabric passes to the take-up roll (not shown). 40

In the improved loom, I provide means for holding the pile yarns during the formation of the loops and, for this purpose, I employ a breastplate I5 of novel construction. This v breastplate serves the ordinary purpose of supporting the completed fabric but in addition is movable in adirection toward and away from the harness so as to perform its additional function.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 1, the breastplate is mounted for sliding movement in suitable ways in the top of a standard [6 secured to the frame of the machine. Attached to the lower end of the breastplate is a link I1 connected to one arm of a bell crank l8 pivoted at ,55

any convenient point as, for example, on the side of the standard. The other arm of the bell crank is connected by means of an adjustable link I9 to one arm 28 of a bell crank pivoted at a convenient point, the other arm of the bell crank being provided with a roller 2] bearing against the face of a cam 22 having a contour of appropriate shape to produce the desired movement of the breastplate.

In the operation of the loom illustrated, the fabric is woven in the ordinary way and pile yarns are inserted so that the pile loops encircle a shot of weft. Just before this shot is inserted, the ends of the pile yarns are inserted in the fabric by the usual mechanism and the breastplate is then advanced to the position illustrated in Fig. 2 so that its extreme end bears against the yarns a short distance from the free ends thereof. The yarn ends are thus turned to a position parallel with the warp and are firmly held by the end of the breastplate. The comb I3 is elevated to engage the free ends of the yarns and bend them upwardly through the warp to complete the loops, after which the shears operate to sever the yarns and trim theloops to proper length to form tufts. During these operations, the edge of the breastplate bears against the yarns, holding them tightly against the undersurface of the weft shot about which they are looped. When the formation of the tufts is completed, the reed advances to beat up the weft shot with the yarns in place, and as the reed moves forward to perform this function, the breastplate is retracted so as not to interfere with the action of the reed. The reed is then moved'back, the new shed formed, and the cycle of operations repeated.

It is also often desirable to move the breastplate past the weft shot and back into supporting position in order to draw the yarns tightly around the weft shot.

It will be observed that in the new loom, the advance of the breastplate brings its endinto contact with the yarns and exerts a holding pressure thereon so that the pile loops are taut and the yarns lie snugly against the undersurfaceof the fabric. The breastplate continues to perform its holding function until the tufts are completed and this insures that the tufts will be snugly woven into the fabric and the latter will have a smooth and finished undersurface.

Instead of mounting the breastplate for sliding movement as illustrated in Fig. 1, I may construct the breastplate so that it rocks into and out of holding position. This construction is shown in Fig. 5 in which the breastplate is mounted on the end of a lever 25 driven by appropriate cam mechanism or the like, so as to move the breastplate into and out of holding position in proper synchronism with the other parts of the loom.

In some instances, it may be desirable to use only a part of the breastplate as a holding means and that construction is illustrated in Figs. 6 and; 7. In Fig. 6, the breastplate is provided with a stationary section 30 which serves the usual purpose of supporting the fabric and a movable section 3|, which serves the usual purpose of supporting the fabric and is mounted on the uppen end of a lever 32 corresponding in construction and mode of operation to lever 25. In the operation of a loom provided with the type of breastplate illustrated, the movable section of the breastplate is advanced to the position shown in Fig. 6 to hold the pile yarns snugly, this movement into and out of holding position being properly timed with the operation of the comb, reed, and other parts of the machine.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. '7, the breastplate has a stationary portion 35 and a movable portion 36, the latter being mounted on a sliding support 31 movable in suitable guideways in a standard 38. The support 31 is operated by means of a link 39, lever 4|], and other mechanism such as is illustrated in Fig. 1.

I am aware that it has been proposed heretofore to provide' a holding means for pile yarns but so far as I am informed, such devices have not employed the breastplate itself or a portion thereof as the holding element. On the contrary, additional holding means have been used so that the loom is complicated by theprovision not only of the ordinary breastplate but of additional parts which perform only the holding function. In my loom, I utilize the breastplate or a portion. thereof for a dual purpose, thus providing a simple and rugged construction; for accomplishing the desired result.

I claim:

1.,In. a .loom for weaving pile fabrics, the

combination of a web-supporting means lying: at the fell of the fabric and over which the woven fabric passes from the fell, said means comprising a pair of members, one fixed and the other movable, said members extending across the loom and having top surfaces exposed to and supporting the fabric, said top surfaces lying. substantially in the same general plane, and said members lying side by side with the movable member at thefell and the fixed member lying immediately forward of the fell, and means for. moving said movable member toward. and away from said. fixed member to. support and hold thev pile tufts and holding weft shot while they are being woven into the fabric.

2. In a loom for weaving pile fabrics, a breast plate extending across the loom at the fell of. the fabric and over which the woven fabric passes from the fell, said breast plate comprising a fixed part and a movable part, both of which have top surfaces exposed to and supporting the fabric and said parts lying side by side with their supporting surfaces in substantially the same general plane with the-movablev part at the fell and the fixed part immediately forward of the fell, and means for moving said movable part toward and away from the fixed part to support and hold the pile tufts and the holding weft shot while they are being woven into the fabric.

WILLIAM D. KELLOGG. 

